Nonprofit organizations and individuals eager to break into the grant writing arena can attend a series of three workshops, hosted by the Grant Resource Center at Northern Essex Community College.
The center and its workshops are supported in part by funding from The United Way of Massachusetts Bay & Merrimack Valley and Associated Grant Makers and in collaboration with Jericho Road Lawrence.

The workshop series will be held in October at Northern Essex Community College’s Lawrence Campus, Riverwalk at 360 Merrimack Street, Building 9, Entry K.

The first class, “Introduction to Grants Research,” will be held on Wednesday, October 9 from 2 to 4 p.m. This workshop introduces participants to the world of philanthropy and covers grants research and how to approach foundations. In addition, participants will learn how to tell an organization’s story for best effect. There will be discussion of several databases that are critical to finding the right grant maker for an organization.

The second class, “Introduction to Grant Writing for Beginners,” will be held Tuesday, October 22, from 2 to 4 p.m. Participants will learn how to create a winning grant proposal. Different types of grant proposals will be examined and the typical components of a proposal as well as the steps in the process will be discussed.

The third and final class, “Introduction to Grant Writing II for Beginners,” will be offered Thursday, October 31, from 2 to 5 p.m. This workshop is for individuals who have completed “Introduction to Grant Writing for Beginners” or those who already have some experience in grant writing, but would like to expand their knowledge. During this three-hour workshop, individuals will learn how to plan a grant for maximum funding success, the secret language used by successful grant writers, how to think like a reviewer, simple ways to package a grant for maximum effect, and grant writing do’s and don’ts based upon well-written sample grants. The workshop will provide time for interaction with lively discussion and concrete examples.

Seats in these courses fill up quickly so those interested are encouraged to register early. The cost for each of the first two workshops is $30 plus a $5 materials fee; the cost for the third workshop is $40 plus a $5 materials fee.

NECC’s Grant Resource Center offers free access to the AGM Grantmaker Database and The Foundation Directory Online for Professionals, two premier members-only databases.

For additional information on this workshop, contact Dawna Perez at dperez@necc.mass.edu or call 978-738-7605 or Diane Zold-Gross at dzoldgross@necc.mass.edu or call (978) 659-1221.